Ever since his spectacular debut in 1977, one of the most
popular and controversial characters in all of cinema has been Han Solo of STAR
WARS fame. Originally portrayed by Harrison Ford for four films, the dashing
young space pirate who was challenged to think about more than himself and
money captured the hearts of women and gave the guys an idol to mimic. Han was
a rebel within the famed Rebel Alliance; the type that would shoot first and
take a payday, but also the type you would want fighting by your side.
Controversy seemed to match the character’s popularity.
Twenty years after his debut, a galactic-sized shitstorm erupted around the
character when a minor edit to a shootout appeared in the 20th
anniversary edition of STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE; an edit which has angry fans
fuming to this day. Harrison Ford would reprise the role for the final time in
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015), and would bring Solo to an end which was
embraced by many, but hated by others. And just to fan the flames a bit more, in
2015 Disney and Lucasfilm announced an upcoming STAR WARS spinoff film which
would center around a young version of Han Solo, this time played by Alden
Ehrenreich.
Not all fans were quick to embrace the idea of the role of
Han Solo being played by a new actor (maybe they need to watch a few James Bond
films), but such a beloved character does need to be treated with tender loving
care. The fear that fans have had grew exponentially just last week, when the
directors of the yet-untitled film, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were
dismissed from the ongoing production. And within days, Lucasfilm president
Kathleen Kennedy announced that Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (APOLLO 13, A
BEAUTIFUL MIND, WILLOW) would be taking over.
The reasons for Lord and Miller’s sudden exit have been
trickling out over the past week, with “creative differences” between the
directing duo, Kennedy, and long-time STAR WARS screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan
being the most quoted. Recent stories have emerged pointing towards Ehrenreich
approaching Kennedy concerning Lord and Miller shooting Han Solo as a screwball
comedy which was along the lines of Jim Carrey’s Ace Ventura character, along
with reports of the duo not being able to keep up with the shooting schedule.
It seems that Lord and Miller, who wowed audiences in 2014 with their animated
THE LEGO MOVIE, were not prepared for the size and scope of a STAR WARS movie,
and another report of crewmembers breaking out into applause when Howard was
hired seems to point towards just that.
The concerns over the current state over the Solo solo film
are many, and justified. Sources say that Lord and Miller had shot nearly 90
percent of the film, and that Howard would be re-filming scenes deemed
unusable. The pressure is certainly on, but Howard is no rookie, and Disney has
shown great care and affection for STAR WARS since taking over the franchise. If
the reports of Lord and Miller filming a STAR WARS movie like a goofy comedy
are accurate, then this Blogger says good goddamn riddance, and perhaps in the
future more care will be taken towards hiring directors for more STAR WARS; not
to mention a cautionary tale for rebellious young directors.
*
The untitled HAN SOLO film will be released on May 25th,
2018. Along with Alden Ehrenreich, it also stars Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke,
Woody Harrelson, and Thandie Newton.
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